Mukul Choudhary blinder snatches last-ball victory for LSG

In a nutshell

Mukul Choudhary turned a lost cause into a heist as Lucknow Super Giants snatched victory from the brink, sealing a thrilling last-ball win against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. The 21-year-old held his nerve to produce a late surge and cap a dramatic finish as LSG won by three wickets, reaching a target of 182 off the last ball. LSG also had Ayush Badoni to thank, as the Delhi batter held the innings together with a 34-ball 54 even as wickets fell at the other end.

The match in phases

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 181/4 in 20 overs [Angkrish Raghuvanshi 45 (33), Ajinkya Rahane 41 (24); Digvesh Singh Rathi 1-25] lost to Lucknow Super Giants 182/7 in 20 overs [Mukul Choudhary 54* (27), Ayush Badoni 54 (34); Anukul Roy 2-32] by 3 wickets.

Who won LSG the match?

Mukul Choudhary. Reduced to 128 for 7, the game was effectively out of LSG's reach. But Mukul had other ideas, coming up with a stunning 54 not out off 27, which included as many as seven sixes and two fours.

More on the finish...

Mukul was on 2 off 6 when Mohammed Shami fell, and two overs later, he raced to 26 off 16. A six and a four off Arora, and two sixes off Tyagi brought the equation to 30 off 12 deliveries. The 21-year-old Rajasthan wicketkeeper also did a good job of farming most of the strike as he tried to take LSG closer. The 19th over, bowled by Cameron Green, went for 16 runs as Mukul struck two sixes and a four. Avesh did well to take a single off the first ball, leaving Mukul to get 13 with five left. Mukul continued nailing the hits to the legside fence, getting another six off Vaibhav. The bowler did well to keep it wide for a couple of deliveries but the No. 7 carved a wristy six over the off side for a 26-ball fifty, bringing it down to 1 off the last ball. Vaibhav kept the final ball out of Mukul's hitting arc but the batters sneaked a bye, with the 'keeper Angkrish Raghuvanshi unable to hit the stumps. Mukul offered a prayer to the heavens after winning the match for LSG as the jubilant dugout rushed to celebrate the victory with their hero.

Controversy early on...

Having struggled against the moving deliveries from Shami in the opening over, Finn Allen took on Prince Yadav and struck a couple of boundaries in the second over. But in his attempt to go for a big one, he got a top edge and was caught close to the boundary ropes at third man by Digvesh Rathi. Only, the catch wasn't taken cleanly, by the looks of it. The third umpire deemed it a clean catch but multiple replays later hinted that there was some contact with the boundary cushion, which seemed to move a touch.

What about Rahane's strike rate?

Ajinkya Rahane's strike rate after the Powerplay and against spin had been a question mark leading into this game. Since 2023 until today in the IPL, he had a strike rate of 119.93 against spin and 124.16 in the middle overs phase. The KKR captain went about trying to make amends. He took on spin in the Powerplay, striking a six off M Siddharth and two fours off Rathi. He didn't slow down after that, clearing the fence despite losing control of his bat off Avesh Khan. KKR also benefited from Raghuvanshi's fluent hitting as the team galloped to 98/1 at the halfway stage. Rahane's outing ended in the 11th over, falling to Rathi, with the third umpire needing multiple replays to confirm Shami had taken the catch cleanly. He didn't get a fifty but it was a quick innings from Rahane, who struck at 170.83 today. His SR after the PP was 176.9 and it was 162.5 against spin.

98 after 10, 115 after 15, and finally 181 - what happened?

From overs 11-15, it was a complete slowdown for KKR. They lost their set batters as well as Rinku Singh and got only 17 runs in that phase on a wicket that appeared to slow down. Cameron Green struggled, as did Rovman Powell, but the West Indian did show some intent when he struck a six and an edged four off Siddharth in the 16th over. Green's first four came off the 15th ball of his innings, off Prince, who went for 17 with Powell also hitting a four and a six. Green's only six came off Shami and the two batters hit a four each off Prince in the final over, with KKR getting 66 off the last five overs.

How did LSG's chase begin?

They went pretty much neck and neck with KKR, getting the same score of 56 in the Powerplay, although they lost their openers in the process. Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh provided a quick start but both fell to Vaibhav Arora off short balls in the fifth over. At the eighth-over mark, LSG has moved to 72 for 2 - a couple of runs short of KKR at that stage - with Rishabh Pant and Ayush Badoni putting on a steady partnership.

Green's first bowling gig and LSG's collapse

Bowling for the first time this season, the Australian was introduced at the start of the ninth over and began his bowling spell with a bang, getting Pant to miscue a pull and dismissing the LSG skipper for 10. Nicholas Pooran smashed a six in the same over but he fell to Tyagi a short while later, and Anukul Roy accounted for Abdul Samad. Badoni tried to keep LSG in the hunt with a 33-ball fifty, but his dismissal came at a critical juncture as Anukul's strike tilted the game in KKR's favour. Narine then became the first overseas bowler to bag 200 T20 wickets in India, with the dismissal of Shami as LSG's innings unravelled quickly, from 72 for 2 to 128 for 7, before Mukul played a blinder, scoring 52 of the 54 runs that came in his eighth-wicket stand with Avesh.

What next for the teams?

After securing a victory from the jaws of defeat, LSG only have a two-day break before facing Gujarat Titans in Lucknow on April 12. Meanwhile, KKR have a four-day break to recuperate from the shocking loss before they face Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on April 14.